Apprentices
by TheGirlWithPurpleUggs
Summary: The ninja were already busy training Lloyd but Sensei decided to give them the new challenge of training the apprentices! Full of mystery, action, and plot twists, "Apprentices" has become quite popular on both Instagram and DeviantArt. The fanfiction takes place after episode 26 "Darkness Shall Rise" so Lloyd is still young and Garmadon still has the Mega Weapon.


"What?!" "Now, now, what is life without a few challenges along the way?" "But Sensei!" "We already have Lloyd to train!" "This will be quite different then we're used to…"

INTRO

As little as one month ago, Ninjago City was threatened by a giant serpent known as the Great Devourer. It ate everything in sight, and grew larger with every bite. There is four ninja who helped stop the Great Devourer. Kai, the Ninja of Fire. Jay, the Ninja of Lightning. Zane, the Ninja of Ice. And the leader, Cole, the Ninja of Earth. They used to protect the Four Golden Weapons; the Sword of Fire, the Nunchucks of Lightning, the Shurikens of Ice, and the Scythe of Quakes. The ninja had to give the Four Golden Weapons to Lord Garmadon (their worst enemy and ruler of the underworld). Garmadon was able to hold all the weapons because he has 4 arms. Once the 4 ninja were able to hold the Devourer still, Garmadon dived toward it's weak spot on his head and killed the Great Devourer, which then burst into green goo. All the people the serpent swallowed, including the ninja's Sensei (Sensei Wu), were alive once he was defeated. But Lord Garmadon and the Four Golden weapons were nowhere to be seen. The ninja's next challenge was to train Lloyd Garmadon; Garmadon's son and Sensei Wu's nephew. Lloyd is the destined green ninja, the one destined to defeat the Dark Lord. The ninja were already busy training Lloyd, but Sensei decided to give them even more students to train, as a challenge. This is where the story begins.

CHAPTER 1-ALISON P.O.V.

I ran quickly to my home in a dark alley. I wonder if the cops saw anything… Anyways, my name is Alison. I have long blonde hair and I am a thief. It's not that I wanted to be a thief, but things happened and now I'm homeless and sleep in an alley. I sneak into people's apartments in Ninjago City to find stuff I can sell. I just stole some lady's purse which has $50 bucks cash in it! Jackpot! I've been planning to rob an apartment that's above my alley. The people who live there seem to go out quite a lot. So I figured now's my chance. I flipped up the hood of my black sweatshirt. I jumped onto a garbage can then jumped to a pole which was sticking out of the wall. I spun around then flipped into the apartment through the opened window. People need to learn to stop leaving their windows open. I looked around. Man, this place is a dump! There is a bunk bed, a rusty stove, a chair, a bathroom, and dirt. Lots and lots of dirt. Lying on the floor is a shuriken. Hey, this could come in handy. I put it in my bag when suddenly the door opened and lights turned on.

CHAPTER 2- NO P.O.V.

That apartment belonged to 4 ninjas, a samurai, a ninja-in-training, and a Sensei. Boy did she pick the wrong place to rob! "Thief!" the girl shouted. Alison quickly jumped out the window and ran off. The girl who shouted is a samurai, who is also Kai's sister. The ninja-in-training is Lloyd. Cole, the ninja in black, went over to the window. "What did she take?" he said. "It seems as if all she stole was a lone shuriken." Said Zane, who wears a white ninja suit. Cole closed the window with an angry expression on his face. "We really should keep that window closed." Jay said with a smile. Jay is the blue ninja. "Oh really?" Kai, the red ninja, said while mocking Jay. "Anyways Sensei, like we were saying before, we can't take any more students!" "Yeah! And making us train girls? This is kind of silly." Said Jay. "Why? Do you have a problem with girls?" Nya frowned. She is dating Jay. "Heh heh, o-of course not Nya!" Jay nervously smiled. "If you wish to become excellent teachers and Masters of Spinjitzu, you must conquer any given challenge; even those you believe are impossible to do so." Said Sensei Wu. All the ninja bowed. "Yes Sensei." "I will retrieve you all when I have returned with your students. For now you shall stay at Grand Sensei Dareth's Mojo Dojo." Said Sensei Wu. "Yes Sensei." Said all the ninja as they left.

CHAPTER 3- MADDIE P.O.V.

I am an excellent drummer, but for some reason I have never been able to join a band. Maybe I'm just too good for them. So I decided to try out for this band called "Poison Dagger". They don't really seem like 'my type of band' but hey, I'm desperate. I went to the garage where they practice to tryout. "Name please?" the lead singer said. "Maddie." I said nervously. "Ok, go ahead." I played more excellent then I have ever played in my life. When I hit the last beat, I was finished. "So…?" The band members gathered in a circle and discussed. They then dispersed. "Listen, you're a great drummer, really, but you're like, not Poison Dagger material." Said the guitarist. OK. NOW I'M ANGRY. I threw the drumsticks at the band members but they flew past them and got stuck in the wall. I then stormed out and headed towards the park. I sat down on the bench when suddenly I heard a voice. "Excellent accuracy, but had your anger blinded you?" "Huh?" I looked to my right and saw an old man. "I don't suppose you're looking for a drummer?" I asked. Of course he's not he's like 107 years old! The old man laughed. "I'm afraid not. What I'm looking for is an apprentice." "An apprentice? For what?" I asked. "For Spinjitzu." He said with a smile. "Spinjitzu? Do you mean, like, ninja? Wait I recognize you! You're the one who trained the ninja who saved Ninjago!" I said. It's like talking with a legend. He laughed again. It started to get annoying. "Yes, that is me. I have come looking for a ninja." He said. "A ninja?! You mean me?!" I really hope it was me. If not I made a fool of myself. "Yes Madison." He smiled and poked my head with his staff. Oh, my, gosh. Yes! I'm going to be a ninja! Wait how'd he know my name? Oh, who cares! "Now come. I have 3 more students to gather."

CHAPTER 4- NIKKI P.O.V.

"Excuse me?! 500 push-ups now!" I said. The name is Nikki and I'm not very patient with people, as you may or may not be aware of. I may be young, but I'm a drill sergeant at my dad's military base. I help train Ninjago's army and with the help of me, they'll be the Skulkin Army's worst nightmare! So I need to stay focused and not only strengthen the army, but strengthen my-… There's someone behind me. I quickly pull out my sword and hold it up to their neck. It's some old guy. There's a girl next to him who've seem to have jumped a bit when I pulled out my weapon. "Who are you?!" I said angrily "Talk now!" the old man remained calm. "Impatient, are you?" he said. "I said, Who are you!" I yelled. He grabbed the sides of the sword and flipped me over his head. I landed flat on my back. "Owwww." I rubbed my back. He then helped me up. "I don't suppose you need me to train this girl?" I said. He laughed. "You are the one who needs training." Too far! I tried to attack him again but he flipped me. He looked at the soldiers going through the obstacle course. "You have plenty of soldiers. Any ninja?" he asked. "Ninja? Ha! You're plenty far away from any ninja here old man!" I said. "Really? I see one right in front of me." He poked my head with his staff. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "If you wish to become stronger, you must be strong physically, and mentally. Come. I will train you." He held out his hand to help me up. The girl smiled. I then stood up and left the military base with them.

CHAPTER 5- NO P.O.V.

"I do wonder what our new apprentices will be like." Zane said with a smile. "Zane! You gotta be kidding me." Said Jay. "We don't have time for any apprentices, we still have Lloyd to train!" argued Kai. "I don't mind." Lloyd said with a half-smile. "Well you should." Cole said with a frown. Dareth then walked in with a tray of tea. "Ya know, the chance to have Grand Sensei Dareth as part of your ninja team as the brown ninja, is still available." He said as he handed out the tea. "More people on our 'team' is the last thing we need!" said Cole. "I understand we are all upset because of this sudden change, but we mustn't disregard Sensei." Said Zane. Kai sighed. "You're right." They all sat there quietly drinking their tea.

CHAPTER 6- BRIANNA'S P.O.V.

I hear twigs crack as I step through the forest. I looked up and saw the sky getting darker; I'm pretty sure it's about to rain. My name is Brianna, I like to adventure, fix things, create things, go swimming, oh! And I've been told I talk a lot. I've created things like a sword made out of duct tape and branches to help me thwack down branches, or a pair of nunchucks that took me FOREVER to make. I know what you're probably thinking; I ran away from home? Actually, no. I'm just in the forest from till I wake to before I go to sleep. It started to down pour. "Oh great." I heard a crack of lightning. I became nervous and began to run towards home. I wish I knew which direction it was in. So instead I ran to my little shelter I made out of branches. But when I got there, there were three people sitting in it. Are they dangerous? I took out my nunchucks (which, by the way, I have never used before.) and tucked them under my arms. I see they have a small fire going on within the shelter. The entrance is covered by a sheet. I take a few steps back, and I run towards it with my nunchucks swinging in the air! "AHHHH!" I then get tangled up in the bed sheet. Fail. I quickly move the sheet so I could see a sword being pointed at my face by some blonde girl. She looked to the old man who was with her and watched as he nodded. "Her? We came here for her?!" she said. Ok, now I'm confused. "I'm sorry! It's just that it started raining and I built this shelter and I saw people in here and it scared me and, and-!" a different girl, more friendly than the other, helped me up. The old man picked up my nunchucks. "An inventor, are you?" he asked. "Y-Ya?" I responded. "Do you believe you are more than that?" he said with a smile. "What? I'm not sure I know what-" "He believes you are a ninja." The friendly girl whispered. "A ninja?! Me?!" I said. "You have the power of storms within you. I can teach you how to control it, just like I'm am teaching these two to control their powers as well." One girl smiled, but the sword girl had more of a smirk. Should I go? Hmm… "Ya! Why not!" I smiled.

CHAPTER 7- ALISON P.O.V.

The park in Ninjago City is where I do most of my stealing. A lot of moms bring their kids' there so it's literally like taking candy from a baby! Hey, there's something you should know. I don't like stealing. I just do what I can to survive. And I don't accept help from others. I'm too stubborn. But believe me, I'm actually pretty friendly! Anyways, some more people just entered the park. Hmpf. I've never seen them here before. The old man looks familiar. Maybe I robbed him before? Oh well. I hide in the bush near the bench and I listen in on their conversation. "Wow! Ninjago City is huge!" said a girl. "Ya, I've always dreamed of being on a billboard here." Said another girl. "You too?" said another. Hmpf. Newbies. Whoa! The old guy just pulled out a bag of cash! There's something I could use! They're walking over to the bench I'm hiding near. Now's my chance. I conceal myself within the bush. "Whoa, Sensei! What's that for?" "It is for the last student." "Aw, not fair! I want money!" the old man laughed and sat on the bench with the others. I then reached my hand out for the money aaaaaand… "AH!" he grabbed my wrist and yanked me out of the bush! "Hey! What's the big idea!" I said angrily. "Stealing is wrong, is it not?" he said. "Um, yeah…" I said. "Then why do you do it?" he asked. "It's all about adapting to the situation." I say while standing up "Sometimes you just have to take charge." He laughed. "A mirror image of Cole…" he murmured. "What?" I asked "Oh nothing." He smiled. I crossed my arms and that just made him laugh. What is with this guy? "So I take it she's the last one?" said one girl. The old man nodded. "Last one for what?" I asked. "I gathered you four together for a reason. To train you all in the Art of Spinjitzu." Was I the only one that was confused? "Madison, the Ninja of Ice." The girl jumped with joy. "Yeah!" "Someone's a little too excited." One girl told me. The old man went to her next. "Nicole, Ninja of Fire." She took out a sword and held it near the other girl's neck. "Yeah, so don't get me angry." She said angrily. The girl pushed the sword away. "Why, can you be a real hothead?" she said. "Brianna, Ninja of Lightning." "Ha ha, ya got that right!" she said. "And Alison, Ninja of Earth." Me? A ninja? Most importantly, how did he know my name?! I guess I'll have to learn to trust these people. "Nice to meet you guys, I got your back. And for the record, there ain't nothin' in this world that I'm afraid of." I said. The old man laughed again. What the heck is so funny?!

CHAPTER 8- NO P.O.V.

The new apprentices were brought to the old apartment that Alison once robbed. "This place, is gross." Said Brianna. Maddie elbowed her. "This place is… familiar?" said Alison. She didn't remember it quite yet. "I must go run some errands. Please, make yourself at home." Said Sensei Wu as he left. "There's only two bed-" "I call top bunk!" said Brianna while cutting Maddie off. "Then I call bottom bunk!" said Nikki. "I CALL- … this chair." Said Alison, sitting in the chair. "Meh, I guess I'll just sleep on the floor." Said Maddie. Nikki watched as the moon began to rise. "It's getting pretty late. I'm going to sleep." Nikki and everyone else fell asleep. About 2 hours later, the door to the apartment opened. "I'm not too comfortable about this guys, I mean, attacking them while they sleep?!" said Jay. "Sensei has been acting a little 'strange' lately." Said Kai. "Whatever. Let's just get this over with." Said Cole. Alison heard the whole conversation; she learned to sleep with 'one eye open'. She had to warn the others. She did the only thing she could think of at the moment: "WAKE UP!" All the apprentices jolted awake as they noticed the ninja surrounding them. The girls immediately took the offensive and attacked. Brianna jumped off the bed and landed on Jay. "AH!" he yelled. Alison quickly took the stolen shuriken out of her bag and threw it at Cole, pinning him against the wall, but only for a moment. He broke free and tackled Alison, in which they began to roll around on the floor. Kai put his sword close to Nikki's face but she counterattacked with her own sword. Maddie kicked Zane's ankle so he would fall but instead he flipped, pick her up, and pinned her against the wall. "Put me down!" she yelled. The ninja were able to retain their apprentices, and tie them up in the center of the apartment. Nikki then growled. The lights turned, and Sensei Wu entered the room.

CHAPTER 9- MADDIE P.O.V.

"Sensei, what's going on?!" I asked. We just got attacked by four ninja! The others seemed as surprised as me. "Your first lesson. Zane, please untie the students." Said Sensei. That wasn't much of an explanation to me. Zane took the shuriken Alison used and cut the rope. We all then stood up. "Who are these people?!" angrily asked Alison. The ninja removed their hoods and revealed their faces. They looked different than I thought. Honestly I thought they'd all have shaved heads or something, or be really old. Actually, they are our ages. Oh, and have full heads of hair. "They, are your teachers." Said Sensei. "Our teachers? But I thought you were gonna train us!" said Brianna. He had me a little confused as well. "Wait, wait, wait Sensei. Did you_ lie_ to them?" asked the blue ninja. I think his name is Jay. "Um, uh," Sensei seemed nervous. "Of course not. They simply never asked for the truth. Now for the introductions. Madison, this is your teacher. The Master of Ice, Zane. He will teach you the ways of even the most chilling icy tundra." Zane bowed. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He said. I remember when I first saw the ninja. The Great Devourer had been released and I felt the quakes from it from 2 cities away. I had just got home from drumming practice and saw them on the TV. The news reporter said all the ninja's names and I watched as they fought the Great Devourer. I probably should have been frightened by the sight of a giant snake but I was too interested in the ninja. Their fighting styles, plans, strategies, they were all so intriguing! I, um, I even developed, um, a little crush on Zane… but! That shouldn't keep me from focusing on training! "Brianna, your teacher is Jack. The M-" "Um Sensei? My name is Jay." Said Jay. The ninja all seemed greatly confused. "Like I said, Jay is the Master of Lightning. He will teach you to master the storm within you." Said Sensei. Jay shook Brianna's hand. "I'm also a master of inventing, a master of-" Jay pretty much just kept talking for I think 5 minutes or so. "Kai, your student is Nicole. As the Master of Fire he shall teach you to control your burning passion for combat." "_Control me_? Ha! Sure, you can try!" said Nikki. Kai just rolled his eyes while smirking. "And finally, Cole your student is Alison. Being trained by the Master of Earth will make you become stronger both physically, and spiritually." Cole didn't seem too excited. "Um… hi?" said Alison. "Yeah. Hi." Said Cole. "Your training shall resume in the morning." Said Sensei.

CHAPTER 10- NIKKI P.O.V.

I punched the sandbag and some sand came out. "You have a lot of power, but you need to learn to control it if you want to use it correctly." Said Kai. We are training in some guy named Dareth's dojo. Kai keeps on saying I need to learn to control myself. Apparently we're all taking turns using the dojo. It's Kai and I's turn as you can see. "But let's move on to your fire powers." "Fire?" I asked. "Yeah." He moved away from the sandbag to the middle of the room and I followed. "Ok, think of something fiery, or hot, then focus it to your hands." He said. Hmm something fiery or hot… chili, hot cocoa, fire, summer, torches, ovens, hot sauce, Kai… my hand then lit on fire. "Ah!" I yelled. "It's ok! Does it burn?" he asked. "No… no it doesn't." I waved my fiery hand around in the air. "Ha ha this is cool!" I said. "You think that's cool? Check this out!" he spun around and a tornado of fire formed around him. My hand extinguished. I now felt like a noob. "How are you-?" he stopped spinning. "Hmm maybe you're not ready for spinjitzu yet." He said. "Come on, teach me!" I said. "I would, but you already know it." Said Kai. "I what?" "Come on, I think its Jay's turn now. Let's go hang out with the others." We then left.

CHAPTER 11- BRIANNA P.O.V.

We were on our way to the dojo when Nya stopped us. "Jay! There's trouble Jamonacai Village!" she said. "Again? What is it?" asked Jay. "It's the Serpentine generals!" "Ok! I'll go get the others!" he said. "What do I do?" I asked. "Oh yeah, um, you're not ready for any action yet. Just stay here with the other apprentices." He quickly ran past me to the apartment and I followed. When we got to the apartment it looked as if he was about to pass out. "Guys, there's trouble, in Jamon-, Jamonacai village!" he said in between several pants. The other ninja stood up. "Stay here, and don't leave!" said Cole. The ninja then ran out and locked the door. "Man, they really think we're gonna cause trouble." Said Alison. "Yeah." Agreed Nikki. We looked out the window and watched as the ninja flew away on their weird four-headed dragon. "Anybody else think the ninja are a little bit weird?" I asked. "I sort of do. Hey, where's Sensei Wu?" asked Maddie. "I don't know." Said Alison while she sharpened the blade of a scythe. Just then it seemed like the room got darker or the sun got covered by a cloud. I looked out the window and saw… No. "What the heck?!" I said. The others jumped up and looked out the window with me. What we saw was incredible. "A flying pirate ship." Said Alison. Just then we heard a bunch of people scream like little girls as pirates jumped out of the ship. "Yep, this city is weird alright!" said Maddie. "We have to help them!" said Nikki. "I agree." Said Alison. "They're going to hate me for this." She took the scythe she was sharpening and broke down the door. "Grab a weapon!" I grabbed nunchucks, Maddie grabbed shurikens, and Nikki grabbed her sword. We all ran out the door and down to the street. We looked up and saw a giant pirate ship flying above us with a skull sail and a wooden dragon head on the front. "So how do we get onboard?" I asked. Just then a pirate swooped down from the ship and grabbed Nikki's sword. Nikki wouldn't let go. "Hey! Give that back!" The pirate ended taking Nikki with him, so we held onto Nikki so we were lifted up as well. Once we were onboard Nikki kicked the pirate bandit off the side of the ship. "That's what you get!" Said Nikki. "ARGGG WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON MY SHIP?" Said what seemed to be the Captain. "Stopping you!" said Alison. Ok come on now. "Really? That's the best you could think of?" I asked. "Well, yeah. I haven't had much practice doing this ya know." Alison said. "Still, you couldn't think of anything better?" I asked. "Ya know what-!" she was cut off by Maddie. "Perhaps we should focus on the pirates." Said Maddie. "Arg…." Said some of the pirates. We took position, and the battle began.

CHAPTER 12- ALISON P.O.V.

As the battle began I swung my scythe at one of the six pirates while the others fought also. The pirate I was fighting had two eye patches and a very annoying parrot. I made him lose balance and then I pushed him off the ship. I looked around to see if the others needed any help. Brianna was thwacking pirates left and right with her nunchucks while Maddie was throwing her shurikens in every direction. Nikki was busy sword dueling the captain. "You DARE come on MY ship?! I'll make you pay for intruding!" he said. "Ok dude, you seriously need to stop ranting." Said Nikki. Should I help her? She doesn't look like she needs it. I was wrong. She got distracted by the annoying parrot that flew on her shoulder. "SQUAWK! Give me a cracker! SQUAWK!" "I don't have a cracker you stupid bird!" said Nikki. Just then the captain knocked her down and held his sword to her face. "Time to walk the plank!" he said with an evil smile. "Nikki!" I ran over there and knocked him away with my scythe. "I got your back." I said while helping Nikki up. "Thanks." She said. She picked up her sword and we ganged up on him. "Time for YOU to walk the plank!" she said. He fought us off as best as he could but failed to succeed. I pushed him back with my weapon and he lost his footing. "Impossible!" he said with his weird pirate accent. Brianna and Maddie put the rest of the fallen crew next to him. "Sorry Mr. Captainhead but 'impossible' is just what I do." I said with a smile. "Hey guys!" said Brianna. She seemed to be exploring a lower part of the ship. "I know where to put 'em!" We dragged the now crabby and defenseless pirates to the brig in the lower deck and locked them in. "Serves you right!" said Nikki. "U-Um what is that…?" said Maddie. She sounded nervous. "What?" I asked. "That!" she pointed to a strange shadow on the wall that didn't belong to us or the pirates. We backed up against a wall and the others planned to use me as a human shield. I'm so glad they care about my safety (sarcasm). The shadow continued to come closer, and closer, until we discovered the only thing we could do. "RUN!" yelled Brianna and we darted up the deck. I am surprised the shadow could survive in daylight. It followed us outside as we ran around like chickens with our heads cut off. What does it want?! We all ended up running to the end of the plank, with worried looks on all of our faces. We were probably all thinking the same thing; would we fall? Just then, the shadow began to take shape. "Wh-What's it doing?" nervously asked Maddie. It formed into the shape of…

CHAPTER 13- MADDIE P.O.V.

A ninja? As the shadow began to take shape, we all seemed to grab hold of our weapons. This is nothing we have ever seen before. "Ok, as soon as it tries anything, we attack!" whispered Alison. The shadow had formed. The ninja has a suit just like our masters' except it has purple stripes on the front that slightly resembles a ribcage. He wields a staff that glows purple on each end. "Hello!" he said all friendly-like. "Now!" yelled Alison. She charged toward him and he flipped her on to her back. When Brianna attacked he grabbed the other part of her nunchucks and threw her to the side. He grabbed the sides of Nikki's sword and flipped her. "WHY DOES EVERYONE DO THAT?!" she shouted. The ninja chuckled. I felt the wind blow through my hair as I looked down to NinjaGo City below. "Umm… I think I'll just stay over here." I said. He began to walk down the plank towards me so I began to walk backwards away from him. I gulped. I was at the end of the plank. Aaaaaand, I fell. Luckily I grabbed the edge of the plank to save myself. "Any chance you're just a figment of my imagination?" I asked him. He reached down, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me up. "Um. Thank you?" He walked off the plank towards the safety of the deck and I followed. The others began to stand up. "So not cool, man." Said Alison. He pulled off his hood to reveal that he has blonde hair. There's a lot of blondes around here. "I think you've made a mistake. Ya see, I'm not evil." He said. "Says the guy wearing a ribcage shirt and can turn into a shadow." Said Nikki. He then explained to us that he is Lloyd's older half-brother, Will; born from Lord Garmadon though with a different mother. He is learning to use his shadow powers for good. "I'm trying to find my uncle, Sensei Wu." He said. "Sensei Wu? He recruited us!" said Brianna. "Yes, I know. May I return to the others with you?" he asked. "Of course!" I said. "Hey now wait a minute," said Nikki. We all turned to her. "how do we know we can trust you?" "Yeah! You're related to a dark lord that wants to DESTROY EVERYTHING!" said Alison, with much emotion. "Well, I haven't destroyed any of you. Plus my father despises ninja." He said. "Egh, close enough." Said Brianna.

CHAPTER 14- NIKKI P.O.V.

It took us a while to figure out how to steer the ship to safety but once we did, we figured we should go park it on top of our apartment building. Though there was one little problem. "Guys, the dragon is there. They're back." I said. "Back?! They can't be back! Once they see that we left they'll be furious!" said Brianna. "Not only that, but I don't they're gonna be too happy when they found out who broke the door." Said Alison. "What do we do?!" panicked Maddie. Will is busy steering the ship. We decided to land next to the dragon. While creeping down the stairs, we heard Jay's scream. "WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!" Brianna gulped. We are standing near the empty door frame where they cannot see us. "So who goes in first?" whispered Will. "You!" I whispered back while pushing him into the room. It was silent in the room for a moment, and then Kai finally spoke up. "Uh who are you?" "Will." He said. "Well 'Will' did you see 4 ignorant girls leave here?" asked Cole. The guy really doesn't seem to like us. Will explained everything that happened. He took so long, that my foot fell asleep. "Where are they now?" asked Zane. "In the hallway." He said. Oh gee, THANKS A LOT WILL. Brianna nudged me into the room; I was then busy thinking of what to say. "So… How's life?" I asked. "Everyone, get in here, NOW." Said Jay. The others walked in with lowered heads. "What is the meaning of this?" asked Zane. He seemed to be more concerned than angry. "Ok, so, first of all, we were sitting in here, and then we heard screaming, and saw pirates, and then, NIKKI GOT KIDNAPPED, and then Mr. CaptainHead, and Will the shadow ninja thingy, and then, well, here we are now." Explained Brianna. Not only did she confuse the ninja, she confused us as well. "What she says is true, trust me." Said Alison. Cole quickly went up to her and got all up in her face. "And why should we trust you?!" Cole said angrily. They just glared at each other for a while. "Cole…" Zane grabbed his shoulder but he ripped away and stormed out of the room. "I'll go see what's wrong." Kai followed him out of the room. Hmm… something's bugging Cole about Alison… "Hey has anyone seen Sensei Wu?" asked Jay. Just as he said that, Sensei Wu entered the room. But… something really strange happened. It's like he went crazy! He saw Will and went ballistic! "You! Leave here at once!" he began to throw furniture and weapons at Will. "U-Uncle!" said Will. "Sensei, please stop!" pleaded Zane. Will ran out of the room and Alison, Brianna, and Maddie followed him to make sure he was alright. I decided to stay back and find out what's wrong with Wu. "Sensei what was that all about?!" I asked him. "He is not who he seems to be! He is evil!" yelled Sensei Wu. "Sensei, you've been acting strange lately…" said Jay. "Strange?! More like evil!" I said. Jay and Zane are shocked, but Sensei Wu is ticked off. "How DARE you address me as such! I wish to see you gone!" he stormed out of the room, leaving me depressed. …Gone? But, I don't want to leave… I'm getting so much stronger! Jay and Zane stood next to me. "Don't worry Nicole!" said Jay. "I am 50% positive he did not mean what he said." Said Zane. "Sensei has just… not been himself lately…" Said Jay.

CHAPTER 15- KAI P.O.V.

Cole and Sensei haven't been themselves since the apprentices arrived. I've actually gotten used to them. It's sort of fun to train Nikki even though it's weird that she's the same age as me. She's easily impressed. I followed Cole up to the roof where he was petting his old dragon, Rocky. "Hey, what was that all about?" I asked him. He sighed. "She's a thief, Kai." He said. "A thief? What do you-?" "She's the one who stole the shuriken that one night." Wow. Didn't see that coming. "I don't see what the problem is, Cole. It's just a shuriken." "I can never trust her. When I was younger, my father had to attend a dance competition. I was left home alone. A thief broke in and I was too young to defend myself. I hid under a table and watched as they ransacked the place. They told me if I said anything they'd hurt me." He punched the cement under him and put a crack in it. I took a step back. "I could never trust anyone like that!" he yelled. "Listen Cole, I understand that you feel, um, conflicted, but you'll have to learn to trust her sometime." I said. "I just… I need sometime alone…" He sat at the edge of the roof and looked out into the night sky. "Ok, just, tell me if you need anything." I said while heading back downstairs.

CHAPTER 16- BRIANNA P.O.V.

We caught up to Will as he was leaving the building. "Will, wait up!" I called. "Why? First my father doesn't want me and now my uncle!" he said. He seemed to be very sad. I'd probably feel the same way if I was in his shoes. "It's not your fault he wants you gone! The old man is bonkers!" said Alison. Will still looked depressed. "Oh! I know!" said Maddie. We all turned to her. "How about we ask that Dareth guy if he can stay there? Ya know, until Sensei becomes sane." "Wait a second… THAT IS GENIUS." Said Alison. Will ended up staying with Dareth, who constantly asks Will how to turn into a shadow. When we returned home, the ninja seemed to have calmed down. Zane is meditating, Kai is looking out the window, and Jay is tinkering with a… falcon? "Hey Jay… Can I ask you something?" I asked. "Huh?" he seems surprised. "Oh um sure." He said. He flicked a switch on the falcon's back and it flew around the room. I then led him to the hallway. "What is it?" he asked. "Can you pleeeease teach me spinjitzu?! All the others keep on talking about it and I wanna be the first to learn it so pleeeease?" I begged him. "Right now?" he asked. I eagerly nodded. "Hmm…" he looked into the room at the others. "Alright! I'll teach you spinjitzu!" he said. "Yes!" I jumped with joy. "Shh! Come on." I followed him to Dareth's dojo. It is about 7 o'clock at night. We turn the lights on at the dojo. "So Jay, how did you learn spinjitzu?" I asked. "Well, Kai had just joined our team, and we had set out to collect the four golden weapons. Back then we lived at a monastery with an excellent training course. When getting the scythe of quakes, we were attacked by an army, of SKELETONS." He made a weird face when he said 'SKELETONS'. "While fighting I noticed that defeating skeletons is just like going through the training course! As I went through the motions, I unlocked spinjitzu." He marked the end of his story with a proud smile. "Whoa… Can I see?" I asked eagerly. "Ninja-GO!" he shouted as he spun into a small blue lightning tornado. "You mean _I_ can do _THAT_?" he nodded. I grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "TEACH ME!" he broke free. "Someone's eager!" he said. I gave him a nervous smile and scratched the back of my head. "So question is… how do you unlock it…" he asked as he looked around the room. "If only you had a bunch of dummies to practice on… well, let's start with the basics. See this sandbag?" he put his hand on it. "Yeah." "Spin around while hitting it with your nunchucks. As fast as you can." I did as he told and I got really dizzy. "There!" he shouted. "What?" I asked as I stopped spinning. "No, don't stop! You were getting it! There was a spark!" "A spark?" "Yes!" His excitement made me jump a little. I began to spin so fast that it made me sick. Then suddenly, I stopped. It's like I am spinning but not spinning at the same time. It feels… invincible. Suddenly, I was out of the strange feeling. And I landed on my butt. Apparently I was just engulfed in a lightning tornado. "Spinjitzu! You've unlocked it! Woohoo!" he shouted. "Oh yeah!" I yelled. "Some people are trying to sleep!" Darth yelled from the other room. Jay and I laughed as we high-fived each other.

CHAPTER 17- ALISON P.O.V.

When Brianna and Jay got back from wherever they were, they joined us on the rooftop. With all that has happened today, nobody felt like sleeping. Kai's dragon, Flame, started a small campfire for us on the roof. Cole's eyes remained focusing on the fire, no matter what happened. I don't know whether to be sorry for the guy or be angry at him. He did yell at me, said not to trust me, but… I don't know. He seems confused. "So, 'Masters'," said Nikki, doing air quotations around 'Masters'. "We've been training with each other for two weeks and I feel like I barely know you! Tell us about yourselves." The ninja looked at each other as if ensuring they should open up to us. Cole actually looked away from the fire. "Well," started Kai. "I was the last one to join the team. I remember when all I wanted was to be the best blacksmith!" he laughed at himself. "What about you, Jay?" asked Brianna. "Well I was born and raised in, um, a junkyard." He said. A junkyard? Never heard of that before. Even though I lived on the streets for a while I was still born in a hospital. At least I think so. "Zane?" asked Maddie. "I am a robot." He said with a smile. We just sat there in silence. I broke the quietness. "HA." I said. "Come on Zane, you expect us to believe you're a robot?" asked Nikki. He stood up and opened a control board up within his chest. WHAT THE HECK?! "GAH!" I yelled. The ninja burst into laughter. "Is that how we reacted when we first found out?!" asked Kai between laughs. "Why, yes." Said Zane. I looked at the others; Nikki is angry they are laughing at her, Brianna seems a bit lost as to what just happened, and Maddie… hey wait a second. She's lying on the ground with her eyes closed. "Umm… guys?" I said as I poked her face. "She's out cold." Said Nikki. Zane looked worried as he closed the control board on his chest. He walked over to Maddie and picked her up with ease. "I will put her to sleep." He said as he carried her back to the apartment. Well the robot thing explains why he's so weird. "Cole?" asked Jay. "Huh?" asked Cole. "It's your turn!" said Kai. "Oh yeah, well, when I was little I used to be a dancer." A dancer? DID HE JUST SAY A DANCER?! Me and the other apprentices burst into laughter. "A dancer! He's a ninja dancer!" shouted Brianna. The ninja didn't seem too happy. "COLE." I said. "What?" "DAHNCE WITH ME COLE." He looked as if he was about to explode with anger. Maaaaybe that wasn't my best idea… "Cole, wait!" called Jay. Cole jumped up. "No, I'm sick of her! She makes fun of me for being a dancer? Well at least I came clean! What the others don't know is that you're a THEIF! You mug innocent people!" he got all up in my face. "You think I wanted to? I stole because I had to! I-" "It doesn't matter! Stealing is wrong! You don't deserve to be a ninja! I WON'T TRAIN YOU!" I ran out of the building as fast as I can. I'm not coming back.

CHAPTER 18- COLE P.O.V.

Stealing is wrong? Yeah. Yelling is wrong too. What have I done? "Cole... You have to go apologize..." said Jay. As much as I'd like to argue, by the time I'm done talking she'll be long gone. I know what I have to do. I ran down to the streets to see that she is no longer running, but walking. I ran after her, ensuring to make no noise. If she heard something she'd probably begin running again. I pulled out my scythe to stop her but she intercepted it with her own. "What do you want?" she asked angrily. "Why did you leave?" I asked. She left because I was being a jerk! "I know where I'm not wanted!" she said, tightening her grip on her scythe. "Listen, I shouldn't have yelled at you for something that happened in the past!" I said. "I'm still angry at you!" she said. "Fine! Be angry!" I put away my scythe. "But I won't get angry at you anymore. I apologize for yelling at you. I would like to start over." I held out my hand for her to shake. She just stared at it. "You do deserve to be a ninja. I will train you." she stopped staring at my hand and hugged me instead. I blushed. It felt... Weird. She pulled away. "Thank you, Cole. I would love for you to train me." We walked back in silence. This feels right.

CHAPTER 19- MADDIE P.O.V.

Not much happens when I train with Zane. Sure, we do some target practice here and there but it's mostly spiritual stuff. Right now we're meditating. Should I be thinking? Or- "You must clear your mind." He said. "Did he just read my thoughts?! Probably not. "I must go check something. Please, take a break." He left. OH MY GOD THAT WAS GETTING SO BORING. I got up and looked out the window. A bunch of cars drove past acting like a giant snake had never attacked their city. I can hear Dareth in the other room training his apprentices. Just some average little kids. All of a sudden, I heard something coming from the other window. "… Hello?" Yes Maddie, let's say hello. Because if there is a person hiding by the window they're totally gonna say 'Hey girlfriend I'm just chillin' over here by the window!' I walked over to it when a hooded figure jumped out and swung a dagger at me. "WAH!" I yelled. Luckily I dodged it. He swung again and it cut my arm; that'll scar. I grabbed a pair of shurikens and threw them so he'd be pinned to the wall. "ZANE! ANYONE! HELP!" He freed himself and kicked me but I got up and kicked him back." He better be paying me double!" he said. "What?" he confused me. While off guard he jumped up and kicked me and I landed on my butt. "Ow…" I said. He laughed as he pulled out a dagger. I closed my eyes and prepared for impact… but impact never came. I opened my eyes to see Zane in front of me, fighting the man. "You must leave, now!" said Zane. "B-But Zane!" "Go!" he kicked the man against the wall and threw me out the window and locked it {we're on the first floor}. I pounded on the glass. "Hey, let me back in!" Zane closed his eyes and when he opened them again they were glowing blue. "Whoa…" He tucked himself and opened his arms. The whole room was frozen, covered in ice! As are Zane and the man! I went around the back and was able to get into the dojo. I was able to break through the ice that froze the door shut. "Zane!" I ran to him, trying not to slip on the ice. Though frozen, they are still able to talk. "What just happened?!" said the man. I ignored him and focused on Zane. "Wh-what do I do?!" I panicked. "It is not a problem." He said. Instantly, he broke out of the ice without trying. Maybe this is what he means when he says to be one with ice… He walked over to the man. "Who are you?" calmly asked Zane. "An assassin never reveals their identity!" he said. So he's an assassin… "Who do you work for?" asked Zane. "An assassin also never reveals their client!" he said. "Madison, may you please leave the room for a moment?" I did what he said and left the room. I entered the room a minute later to find the man frozen to the ceiling. "So, um, who does he work for?" I asked. "He works for Montgomery's Assassin Union. He was hired by Lord Garmadon to attack me and the other ninja. He explained. "It's a good thing you stopped him!" I said with a smile. "I fear this is not over yet…" Dareth walked into the room only to see ice everywhere. "WHAT HAPPENED HERE!?" Aw. Poor Dareth.

CHAPTER 20- NIKKI P.O.V.

A lot of times when we're not training Kai is being sort of a tour guide to me and the other apprentices. Right now the others are busy with their masters so Kai's taking Will and I out for lunch. "This place is called Ninjago To-Go; Really original, I know. Despite being a fast-food restaurant, they have some of the best food around! Such as burgers, dragon chicken nuggets, french fries,-" I cut Kai off. "Did you say dragon chicken nuggets?" I asked. When I was young, my family and I would eat dragon chicken nuggets every Friday. Haha I remember I always used to make them 'fly' around and acted as if they breathed fire. But when my mother passed away my father got depressed and no longer kept the tradition. It seemed like the older I got the more stern he grew. I don't even think he knows I left to become a ninja... Kai waved his hand in front of my face. "Nikki?" I must have zoned out. "Yeah?" I asked. Kai opened the door as Will and I walked in. "I've been here before!" said Will. "You have?" I asked. "Yeah, when I ran away from my father. But the cook wasn't too happy when I ate without paying..." He said with a nervous smile. "Why don't you two have a seat? I'll get us some food." said Kai. Will and I sat down and moments later he brought us our food. On the tray is two hotdogs, a cheeseburger with everything on it, and dragon chicken nuggets. My eyes sparkled; IT'S LIKE HEAVEN. We took our food and began to chow down but our meal was interrupted when I heard a weird 'fwip' sound. Then suddenly, Kai face planted into his cheeseburger. He didn't move for a while. "Umm... Kai?" I poked him but he still lied there. I'm not sure if he's tired or if he just really likes that cheeseburger... Will went over to him to check on him. He pulled a K.O. dart out of Kai's back. "We're not alone." he said. Just then a hooded man crashed through the window and I jumped out of my seat. All the employees screamed and fled into the kitchen. He took a quick glance around the room and figured he had to get rid of us first. He threw a dagger at Will to pin him to the wall and then kicked me. I fell and he pinned me down. "AH!" I yelled. Kai still lied there. I heard a faint familiar voice from the man's earpiece. "What are you doing?! I said don't attack the apprentices!" It said. I then heard another familiar voice but all it said was "Se-". I then heard Will's voice yell "Shadows!" and with a blast of violet light the man flew into the wall. I stood up and saw Will. He has 4 arms and is glowing! He ran up to the man and blasted him again; this time he broke through the wall! Will stopped glowing and has two arms again. "WHAT WAS THAT?!" I asked him. "You'll find out soon enough." he said. He headed over to Kai. I hate it when people don't tell me things. I walked over to him. I hope he's ok... "Hmm it seems all we have to do is shock his nerves." He went and grabbed a fire extinguisher. "Nikki, light his back on fire." "WHAT?!" "Just do it!" I hesitantly ignited my hand and lit his back on fire. "AH!" yelled Kai. This must've been what Will meant when he said 'shock his nerves'. Will used the fire extinguisher. Kai has a pickle on his face from when he face planted into his cheeseburger. "What is it?! What happened?!" asked Kai. Will and I laughed. "Oh come on guys, what's so funny?"

CHAPTER 21- BRIANNA P.O.V.

It's Zane and Maddie's day to use the dojo so I'm spending time with Jay fixing the… Ultra Tonic Radar? No, no, Ultra Sonic Raider! It's some sort of giant four-person car. "It got pretty banged up when we fought the Great Devourer," He said." and Nya had to make a run for supplies, so I figured you could help me! Didn't you say you knew a thing or two about fixing things?" "Yeah." I said. I never tried fixing a machine before though. He opened the hood and a cloud of smoke poured out. He wasn't lying when he said it was banged up! We both coughed. "Ok, *cough* here's the problem with the engine. Can you hand me the wrench?" I handed him the wrench, and I don't know what he did, but oil went EVERYWHERE. "AH!" We yelled. I noticed that we tend to do things in sync a lot. He quickly used the wrench again and the oil stopped. "I-I'll go get some towels!" he ran inside while I tried to clean my eyes. I hear someone tinkering with the vehicle. Must be Jay. But wait isn't he supposed to be getting towels? By the time I had cleaned my eyes the tinkering had stopped. "I found the towels!" yelled Jay. Wait, wasn't he just here? Egh, whatever. He handed me a towel and we cleaned up. "I think it's about time to see if it works." He said as he climbed into the front seat and started it up. I hopped into the seat behind him and he closed the window above our heads. "Just a quick spin." The car began to cruise down street but increased speed significantly. "Um, Jay? You're approaching that stoplight pretty quick…" "I can't slow down!" "What?! Try the break!" "It's gone! I think somebody stole it!" "You mean-" We zoomed past the stoplight and almost got hit by cars! "AHHH!" We yelled as we hugged each other in fear. "How do we stop it?!" I yelled. People leaped out of the way as our vehicle sped by. "I don't know!" he yelled. As I looked into his eyes, I saw my own. In my own, I saw fear. At the end of the street, an unfinished bridge. I lost hope every second. "Is this the end?" I asked him. He just looked at me for a second, he could sense my fear as well. "No." he flipped on his ninja hood and began to glow blue. It felt as if the car was filling with static. His eyes glowed blue as well. Now when I look in them, I see courage, and power. Like lightning he was gone and I heard the sound of thunder. I looked ahead and saw the unfinished bridge approaching quickly. Suddenly, Jay appeared on the hood of the car, still in his glowing form. He placed his hands on the hood and tried to push the car and stop it. Jolts of electricity were flowing through the car, yet I felt nothing. Jay seemed to be struggling, but his work was not going to waste; the Raider was gradually slowing and eventually stopped only 10 feet away from the edge of the bridge. Jay collapsed on the hood and was no longer glowing. I hopped out and ran to him. "Jay! Are you ok? What was that?!" "My true… potential…" he passed out. I probably would have too. I mean, that took a lot of energy and skill! Jay is… Awesome!

CHAPTER 22- ALISON P.O.V.

"No one beats me at my game!" shouted Cole. We're at the arcade playing Sitar Legend. It's where you play a Sitar like it's a game controller. Cole and I are battling for the high score. The only reason I'm good at it is because I used to play it a lot when I was little. "GOD DANGIT." The song ended and I lost. "Hahaa!" cheered Cole. "Not. Funny." I was not amused. It's fun being friends with Cole! We don't fight, or yell at each other; instead we have fun and work together. He did a little victory dance and I laughed. We sat down on the cheap carpeted floor; we are the only two in the arcade. "Good game! You almost had me there. How'd you get so good?" he asked me with a smile. God dangit I love that smile. "Um up until I was 10 my parents used to take me here after dinner and we'd play." I said. "Oh yeah, whatever happened to th-" The frown on my face told him I wasn't ready to talk about it. It happened 7 years ago, and when I finally see a friendly face, I still don't want to talk about. Why must my stubbornness stop me from being open? "It's ok, you don't have to tell." he said. Just then a hooded man casually walked in. The cashier is fast asleep in his chair. Cole and I stood up as the man came closer. He stared at me and said, "You're the apprentice?!" "Tony?!" I said. Tony was, what you might call, my old 'master'. When I lost my parents he had sympathy and took me under his wing. He taught me how to be a thief and how to survive on the street. He's about 27 now. What's he doing here? "Sorry." he said. Sorry? About wh- in an instant he kicked me and I flew into the wall! "Owww..." My vision went blurry and I could just barely see what was going on. Tony immediately began attacking Cole, who didn't have enough time to equip himself with his scythe. It became a fist fight, which is good because I think Tony's better at fighting with weapons. The blow to my head is making me woozy and dizzy. I may have a concussion. I watched as arcade machines began to get destroyed. Every passing minute my head began to ache more. I wonder if... I wonder if I'll... I'll black ooooou-...

CHAPTER 23- KAI P.O.V.

I can't believe Nikki had to fight for me. How embarrassing! So apparently we were all attacked by assassins hired by Lord Garmadon. In the end Maddie has a cut on her arm, my back hurts, Cole has several bruises, and Alison has a concussion. She's resting now. We're at the dojo while the apprentices are back at the apartment with Alison. "This is unlike Garmadon." said Jay. "He usually does things himself." "And what's strange is that for some reason he wanted to keep the apprentices safe." I added. Nikki told me what she had heard from the assassin's earpiece. I hope she's ok... "I believe we are safe from the assassins." said Zane. "They must have attacked us all at once knowing we could not turn to the others for help." "Yeah..." said Cole while rubbing his back. Apparently he got thrown straight into a 'Pac-Ninja' machine. "I'm going to see how the apprentices are doing." Cole left the dojo and headed down the street towards the apartment. "I think I'll be resting now." said Zane. "Me too." said Jay as they stood up. "Coming Kai?" "No, I think I'll stay up." I said. I need some time to think.

•••

It's 2 in the morning, and everyone's asleep. Well except maybe Cole, I think he usually lies awake and plans; he only needs a good 3 hours of sleep and he's fine. I left the dojo and began heading down the street. I haven't gotten any sleep yet but I'm wide awake. Around me I see flashing billboards, cars rushing to get to work, and the new park. It was built there when the old one was destroyed by our battle with the Great Devourer. I turned the corner and arrived at the apartment building. I went upstairs and used my spare key to open the door. There I saw Alison and Brianna in the bunk bed, Maddie in a sleeping bag, and Nikki in a chair, all fast asleep. She looks so peaceful while she sleeps. I gently nudged her to wake her up. "OH MY GOD!" luckily she was still able to remain in a whisper. "Shh!" I said. "Kai? What is it?" she asked me. "I want to show you something. Come on." I helped her up and she put her sword on her back just as mine is. As we walked down the stairs she rubbed her eye. "Sorry to wake you up so early." I said. "Where are we going?" "You'll see." I led her down the street towards the park where we sat down on a bench in front of the fountain. "Do you remember when the Great Devourer was released?" I asked. "Yeah, it was about a month ago." she said. A wall of water shot out of the fountain. Behind us a projector shot out of the ground and projected our battle onto the wall. This happens every 2 hours at night as a memorial and thank you to the ninja who saved the city. "Whoa..." Nikki leaned forward and watched the mini-movie. The movie then ended. "You guys are amazing! No wonder why you're masters!" She said. We went silent and watched as the sun began to rise. She got up. "Well I think I should head back now..." said Nikki. I couldn't just let her leave. She makes me feel emotions that I can't even describe. I went up to her, moved her hair out of her face, and kissed her.

CHAPTER 24- BRIANNA P.O.V.

"Since you've learned spinjitzu it's been a lot easier to train you." said Jay. "Did the others learn it yet?" I asked. "I think so." said Jay. "I'm impressed! You guys are making progress!" I smiled. "Ok so let's see if you can create electricity." he turned off the lights, which surprised me a bit. "Jay?" "Yeah, I'm here, don't worry. Focus on releasing electricity into the air. Sure your hair might get full of static but the lights should turn on." he said. It sounds silly but nothing that has happened so far makes any sense. I sat in a meditating position and focused all my energy into the air around me. I closed my eyes as I slowly inhaled... And exhaled... I could feel the air in the room tensing and getting thicker. The lights flicked on, but I didn't do it. I opened my eyes and saw an angry Nya. "JAAAY!" she yelled. I quickly stood up and went to the back of the room. "N-Nya what's wrong?!" asked Jay. "What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG?! Forget to do something?!" she said. Poor Jay... "Oh geez did I leave the seat up again...?" mumbled Jay. "You were supposed to meet me for breakfast at 8!" she said. I looked at the clock; it's 11am. "What were you doing?!" "I-I'm sorry Nya it's just that I was training Brianna and-" "Uh, whatever. Remember you all have that banquet to go to tonight." and with that she stormed out. Alison (whom is now healed) and Cole came from the door where Nya once was. "Dude, what did you do?" asked Alison. Jay shook his head. "I'll be right back." He left the dojo with his head down. Standing in the doorway was Sensei Wu, and no one else noticed him but me. Under that beard, I swear I could almost see a smile...

CHAPTER 25- MADDIE P.O.V.

The ninja have to attend a banquet as a thank you for saving the city. Cole says we have to go with them because he's afraid of losing another door. We have to dress all fancy-like. All of the guys' suits look the same, except they have coordinating colors such as white, blue, red, and black. Nya helped us get our dresses but seemed very hesitant in helping Brianna. "C-Can I go?!" asked Lloyd. "Lloyd, you're just a kid. And you didn't even help." said Kai. "But they're going!" said Lloyd as he pointed to us. "Yeah, well I don't trust them alone." said Cole. "I can be nontrustingworthy!" shouted Lloyd. "That's not even a word..." I said. "It's ok Lloyd, I'm not going!" said Will. "Awww whatever!" Lloyd walked out of the room. "Come on, we're taking the Raider." said Cole. "I CALL SHOTGUN!" shouted Jay as he ran after him.

•••

We arrived at a large banquet hall made of marble and several columns. There the ninja are greeted kindly.

"Oh it's the ninja!" "Welcome heroes!" "I LOVE YOU JAY!"

They all sound the same. "It's a shame Nya wanted to stay home. She would've loved it here..." said Jay with a frown. I don't think she would like all the girls going goo-goo eyed all over him. As we walked inside we notice that the ceiling has a grand chandelier and the hall is full of the music of violinist and pianist. Leading the small band was a girl with brown hair and yellow suit. No drummers. I'm not entirely sure what to do. Nikki is dancing with Kai, Alison is enjoying the free food, Cole is having gentlemanly conversations, and Jay and Brianna are talking their heads off. But where's Zane? I turned around and was surprised to see him right in front of me. He truly is the ninja of stealth... "Would you like to dance?" "Who? Me?" I looked around. He nodded as he took me hand. This is... Unexpected. "I-I'm not that good of a dancer." I said with a half-smile. He danced with me anyways and as he led I was able to keep up. "Wow Zane, you're a good dancer!" When we ended we were only inches away from each other. I heard clapping. Were people watching? He began to lean into my face. Is he about to- Suddenly, windows on each side if the room crashed open and screams were heard as glass and snakes- yes snakes- fell to the floor. "Cole!" yelled Jay. "Time to kick some snakes, boys! And, um, girls." said Cole. "NinjaaaGO!" we all yelled as we preformed spinjitzu and changed into our ninja suits. Luckily Nya taught us all about the Serpentine in those lectures of hers. "Everyone, clear out!" yelled Kai. People began pouring out of the hall as we were being surrounded by snakes. The fight began and we were attacking snakes left and right. "Brianna!" yelled Jay. Brianna swung at a Fangpyre that was about to bite her. Alison and a Hypnobrai were having a staring contest; is she insane?! I threw a shuriken and the snake flew back. "What? Huh?" "You can thank me later." I said. "NinjaaaGO!" I yelled as I preformed spinjitzu. Snakes kept on flying in and out of my tornado of ice. "They learned spinjitzu? But Lord Garma-" I didn't allow that Constrictai to finish their sentence. Nikki and Kai decided to do a little spinjitzu of their own. Alison and Cole are throwing snakes into walls. We've got this battle in the bag. I stopped my spinjitzu and kicked down some snakes. Suddenly my vision went blurry. I looked to Zane who suddenly turned into a pickle. "What's going on?!" I asked. "You've been sprayed by a Venomari!" shouted pickle Zane. My worst fears have been realized. ALL THE SNAKES TURNED INTO CLOWNS! I hate clowns I hate clowns I HATE CLOWNS! I cowered. "G-Get away from me!" The clowns laughed and looked to the pickle. "Activate the plan!" yelled a clown as they put on polka dot gas masks. Just then the room was full of white smoke and coughing including my own. "Take one!" I heard a muffled voice yell. Just then, I felt arms wrap around me, and a bag put over my head.

CHAPTER 26- NO P.O.V.

The white smoke cleared and the coughing began to gradually stop. "Is everyone ok?" asked Kai. "I think so." said Alison as she coughed. Zane looked around with worried expression. "Where is Maddie?" he asked. "Oh no..." said Brianna. They came to the realization that they lost Maddie. They don't know why the snakes took her, or what they'll do to her, all they know is that they need to get her back. Zane flipped on his hood; this is something he needs to do alone. He climbed up the window where the snakes had broken in. "Zane, where are you going?" asked Jay. "It is my apprentice so she is my responsibility." he said. "We have to save her together!" said Nikki. "Zane." said Cole. He looked back with determination. "Be careful." Zane climbed out the window and flipped onto the rooftop of the great marble structure. There his falcon was waiting for his arrival. In the distance he sighted a rattlecopter. "Follow that aircraft, my feathered friend." Zane jumped across rooftops as he followed the flying falcon into the night.

CHAPTER 27- MADDIE P.O.V.

When the bag was pulled off of my head I was tied into a chair by my wrists. Was I just kidnapped by clowns? This Venomari spit is weird... "You idiot!" said a clown as he smacked another. "This is an apprentice!" "I'm sorry!" said the smacked clown. "No matter. No doubt a ninja will come and save her." He put his hand under my chin. "And when he does he'll fall right into our trap!" I bit his hand. "AHH!" he shouted in pain while jumping and holding his hand as I laugh. In the fuss I looked up and saw a pickle hanging onto the ceiling; Zane. I began to regain my vision to see that I bit a snake's hand instead of a clown's. Zane hurled a shuriken down to cut the rope around my wrists. I heard a 'fwish' noise. THUMP! I jumped up to see that a Constrictai had pulled Zane down and constricted him with his tail. I gasped, "Let him go!" Another Constrictai grabbed me as well! Nya wasn't kidding; these things are strong. The tail was wrapped all the way up to my neck, which is making it hard for me to breathe. Zane and I let out several weak coughs, grasping for air. Zane's eyes are beginning to gradually close. W-What is he doing? No... No he just can't! Wait... What is happening to me?! "Her eyes... They're glowing!" said a Serpentine. My Constrictai became frightened and released me. As I fell to the floor I was engulfed in a beam of light. I slowly stood up as I watched my enemies cower in fear. I hovered in the air and preformed spinjitzu so fast that I didn't even know who or what I was attacking! I suddenly came to a halt and fell. Zane ran up to me and helped me up. "Madison, you have unlocked your true potential!" he hugged me. I'm dizzy... That's some tiring work...

CHAPTER 28- WILL P.O.V.

"They took Maddie?!" "That's what I said!" said Alison. "Then where is Zane?" I asked. "He went after her." said Brianna. If Zane went after her then she should be fine. My eyes drifted to the dojo's hallway where I saw Lloyd pass by. Poor kid still doesn't know that I'm his brother. I stepped past the apprentices to get to Lloyd. I bent down "Hey Lloyd, can I talk to you for a sec?" "Sure thing!" How should I tell him? Should I just say it or slowly explain it?

_"What's up with your eyes?" _

I'm beginning to hear chatter from the other room. "Lloyd there's something you need to know." "I'm listening."

_"Put. Down. The weapon." _

"Lloyd, I'm your brother." "WHAT?!" I hear several thrashing noises emanating from the other room. "You see, I was born from a different mother-" "I don't even know who my mother is and now I have a BROTHER?!"

_"YOU'RE CRAZY!" _

"Ok, what is going ON in there?!" I stood up and went into the room that contained the apprentices to see Alison with red swirly eyes and attacking them all. She swung her scythe at me with terrible accuracy so I dodged it easily. "What's wrong with her?!" "We don't know!" said Brianna. "COLE GET IN HERE AND CONTROL YOUR APPRENTICE!" shouted Nikki. Kai and Jay walked in with Cole trailing behind. "What's going on?" asked Jay. Alison tore past them with angry growls and tackled Cole as they rolled into the other room. "Alison what are you doing?! Get off me!" He threw her into the wall. She began to stand up again. "She's been hypnotized by a Hypnobrai!" shouted Kai. "How do we stop it?!" "Um, well we don't have the sacred flute or the anti-venom... So we... Umm..." "Hit her on the head!" I interrupted Jay as I chucked a 15 pound metal weight at her head and knocked her out. "Dude. Really? She's already had a concussion. You're gonna make the girl retarded." said Cole as he picked her up. "What? It worked didn't it?" Cole rolled his eyes as he walked out of the room with her. I can hear someone walking into the dojo. "We're back!" It's Zane and Maddie! We ran to greet them. "Glad you're safe!" said Nikki. "What happened?" I asked. "A lot of things, actually!" said Maddie.

CHAPTER 29- ALISON'S DREAM

A family of three sat alone in a house in the city. They were a happy family who rarely fought if ever. There was a loving mother, a working father, and a little 10-year-old girl with a vast imagination. At dinner she often went on about her daydreams and the parents would chuckle at the thoughts. Tonight's dinner would be their last as a family. Everything was going normal, "Sweetie, could you pass the salt?" "Yes mommy." "How was school?" "I got an A on my spelling test, daddy!" "That's my girl!" There was a sudden crash in the living room and the sound of glass hitting the floor; the family hadn't owned any pets. The father got up and pushed in his chair as he headed toward the noise. The mother looked on with fear while the daughter looked on with curiosity. She got up to follow the dad but her mother held her back. There were a few crashes and shouts, but then it was dead silent. "Nathan...?" said the mother as she stood up. Around the corner came the father, with blood red swirls in his eyes and a blank expression to match. "Daddy?" "Sweetie, go to your room." said the mother as she grabbed a kitchen pan. "But daddy is-" "GO!" The little girl ran upstairs with a pale face; she had never seen her mother like this. "WHERE DID SHE GO?!" she heard a hoarse voice yell. The little girl gulped as she crawled under her parents' bed. She looked through a small hole that light was pouring through with her beady eyes to see reptilian figures passing through the hall. They all had red eyes which resembled her father's; she stared into one of their eyes and felt as if they were staring back. One of the snakes stopped by the entrance of the parents' room. "Maybe we should search in here, Skales?" "Forget it. What good could a child bring us?" "But Skales-" "As the general's second in command and leader of this exhibition whatever I say goes!" The snakes then left along with the parents, leaving the girl alone and sobbing.

CHAPTER 30- ALISON'S P.O.V.

"GAH!" I jolted awake and hit my head on the ceiling. "Urg, WHO PUT ME ON THE TOP BUNK?!" "I did." I looked down and saw Cole looking up at me. "What happened?" "If I told you you might kill Will. That looked like some dream you were having." "Yeah..." "What happened?" I dodged the question and sat up. "I could tell you what happened, OR you could tell me what you dreamed about." I said with a smile. "The last dream I had was where I was frolicking through a field of cake. Now tell me about your dream." "It's a bit uncomfortable to talk about..." "You can tell me!" he said with a smile. NO. NOT THE SMILE. "I guess I could tell you..." I gave in. God dang it Cole, you and your cute, cute smile..."Alison?" "Huh?" "Are you going to tell me?" "Ok um... In my dream... Um... Everyone died! Yeah that's it!" He climbed up the bunk bed and looked into my eyes. "Yeah, you're lying." he said as he sat next to me. "Now why don't you tell me what really happened?" I decided to tell him the whole dream leaving out no details; in the end he was sympathetic. "What do you think it means?" I asked him. "Alison, I think that little girl was you..." I said nothing and sat there in silence. He then surprisingly hugged me and I blushed. I hugged him back. "So that's why you were a thief..." he said. Just then he got a text and he retracted from the hug. "It's Jay." he said. Jay Walker: Official Moment Ruiner. "The snakes found the dojo! I have to go!" He jumps down and I follow his lead. "Oh no, you are not coming." "What?! Why?!" "Because Will threw a weight at your head and you got your SECOND concussion!" "He did WHAT?!" "Uh oh." He ran out the door, locked it, and held it closed as I pounded on the door. "LET ME OUTTA HERE COLE! OR YOU'RE GONNA BE IN THE SAME POSITION WILL'S IN!" I heard his footsteps run off through the hall and down the creaky old stairs. "Grr..." I growled. I looked around the room to find a weapon I could use to break down the door; there are none. This door was newer and more well-built than the one I had once broke down. I hurried to a window and looked down into the alley where I once lived. "Guess I'm doing this the old fashioned way." I jumped to the pole sticking out of the alley wall, spun a few times, landed on the dumpster lid and jumped off onto the pavement. I ran down the street toward the dojo to see rattlecopters hovering around it. They're in trouble. I snuck around back and heard all the snakes and ninja gathered in a single room. I decided to stay quiet and plan; there's too many of them to handle by myself. "Kai, what do we do?" I heard Nikki whisper. "I don't know... They have us cornered..." They're cornered?! "Well now..." That voice... "It's about time I hypnotized some ninja." I know that voice... It's the same hoarse voice from my dream... "But Garmadon said not to interfere with the apprentices!" "I don't care what he says!" I jumped from around the corner. "I'm not letting you take them!" I said. "And how are you going to stop me, little apprentice?" said the leader who I think is named Skales. How will I stop him? I probably should've thought this through. I feel something welling up inside of me... Anger? No. Fear? No. Revenge? Maybe. Before I knew what was happening my eyes began to glow a bright blue. "Alison..." said Cole. "Her true potential!" said Zane. I am now surrounded by floating rocks connected by lines as I glow a maple color. As I walked toward Skales I saw fear in his eyes; a familiar fear, like the same fear has been in my eyes before. I picked him up and hurled him through the wall. "Oh, who's going to clean that up?!" said Darth. As a Fangpyre tried to bite me he broke his teeth in attempting to do so and ran out of the room. I flashed a glare to the group of snakes and they ran out as well. I looked back to the hole I made in the wall to see Skales still conscious. I ran, if not flew, to him. I'm not finished. "Alison, haven't you done enough?!" said Jay as I ignored him. With improved strength I punched Skales' stomach and kicked his face. "Please, stop!" he said. "I'll never forgive you!" As I raised my fist and was about to punch him, I felt my raised fist get grabbed. "You've done enough." It's Cole. "I understand you're angry, but ninja don't fight for revenge. Stop." I looked back to Skales who lies on the ground, suffering from severe injuries. My glowing began to reduce and eventually stop as I sat in the rubble of the wall I tore down. "Thank you for saving us. Now can you please go back to resting before you get another concussion?"

CHAPTER 31- WILL'S P.O.V.

Everyone is where they're supposed to be; seeing that it's 11:00 at night that means they're all sleeping. It's been a long day. I can't believe we were surrounded by snakes! I was hanging out with the apprentices and they eventually asked me to stay instead of going back to the dojo. They all fell asleep; I for one have always had trouble falling asleep. I'm passing away the time by shooting little shadows balls out the open window, and watching as they disintegrate into the night sky. I look behind me to see the apprentices fast asleep; Alison on the top bunk (Cole made Brianna give her the top bunk due to her concussion), Nikki on the bottom bunk, Brianna in a chair, and Maddie leaning against a drawer. Sensei confuses me. Why is he so friendly to them but not to me? It's nothing like when he first took me under his wing. I hear little patter noises in the hallway; maybe rats? This is a pretty old apartment building. Yet something doesn't seem right. The knob is turning. "Uncle…?" I close the window and walk over to the door, being careful not to awake the others. I slowly turn the knob, and as I open the door I see a giant silky spider web covering the door frame. "What the-" I saw the web too late, for I walked straight into its clutches. "Hey!" I struggled, this is no ordinary web. Behind me I heard the window crash open! Screams and hisses filled the room! I struggled more, but could not break free. I suddenly felt something stick to my back, and retract me from the web. With my peripherals, I saw empty beds, chair, and even an empty spot on the floor next to the drawer. I was then carried out the window.

CHAPTER 32- JAY'S P.O.V.

"Whose turn is it?" Every morning before we start training, we decide who has to go wake up the apprentices. We decide, LIKE MEN. "Rock, Paper, Clamp!" said Kai. "Ha, I never lose!" I said. "Good luck!" "Rock…" "Paper…" "Clamp!" Cole, Zane, and Kai threw down paper while I chose rock. "What was that you said about, 'I never lose'?" Mocked Kai. Nobody really likes waking up the apprentices. No offense to them, but they're crabby, and I heard Kai almost got his head chopped off by a pillow. Sensei says we're not much better. I headed down the street towards the apartment. I walked up the creaky old stairs and spotted a few ants crawling through the floorboards; I'm glad I'm staying at the dojo. I got to the right floor and saw that their door was wide open; good! They're already awake! I walked into the apartment and couldn't believe my eyes.

CHAPTER 33- NIKKI'S P.O.V.

Uhh... Where am I? I don't remember much... Maybe this is a dream? All the blood is rushing to my head; I can't move. Suddenly, something thin and brittle looking went over my face. "AHHHH!" My scream frightened the brittle thing and in its place a giant spider fell to the floor! "WHAT THE HECK?!" I attempted to spazz but still couldn't move; I'm on a spider web. I could feel my face turning red due to the blood rushing to my head; I must be upside down. "Nikki, is that you?" "Maddie?" I tried to, but I couldn't turn my head to see her. "Maddie, where are we?" "On a spider web." "Oh really? I thought we were in a bathroom." sarcastically said Brianna. "Brianna?" said Maddie and I. "Hi." "Anybody else?" "For the record, I could've kicked those spiders' butts AT ANY TIME." said Alison. "Hi Alison." "Hi Nikki." "Hey, where's Will?" asked Brianna. Just then, Will was lowered from the ceiling by a web that is wrapped around his feet. "Will!" A spider larger than the rest crawled slowly down the web towards Will's feet. Will struggled. "Welcome, to my home!" it said. "This place is a dump." I said. "HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS." it said in return. "You have a heart? :D" said Brianna. He shot a web from the distance and covered Brianna's mouth. "You are all getting punished for what this boy did!" The spider shook the web. "Um, actually, I'm a legal adult..." "SHUT UP!" It yelled at Will. "What did he do?" asked Alison. "A long time ago, when we were smaller, we lived on an old, dusty ship called the Bounty. One day this BRAT came along and decided to STOMP all over my FAMILY!" "WILL!" I shouted in anger. "What?! They're spiders! What was I supposed to do?! Sit on them?!" "That would probably kill them even more..." shyly said Maddie. "SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" yelled the spider. Someone has a short fuse. I saw Will look up to a skylight on the ceiling, and nod as if someone were there. He transformed into a shadow, which freed him from the web, and climbed up as he kicked the spider off. I now saw what he nodded at; the ninja! Cole punched the skylight and as it broke open he and the others jumped to the floor. "NinjaaaaGO!" Zane cut the web with spinjitzu and carried us all down. "Thanks Zane!" "You're welcome, Maddie. Now can you all please get off of me? Holding four people is a bit heavy." DID HE JUST CALL ME FAT? "Oh, sorry 'bout that." Said Alison as me and the other apprentices jumped off. Brianna ripped the web off her mouth. "Stupid spider!" she said. Will jumped down from the small rope of web and returned to his human form as spiders began to close in. "Ready to fight?" he asked.

CHAPTER 34- MADDIE'S P.O.V

"9 against a whole spider nest? Hardly seems fair." said Jay with a smirk as he flipped on his hood. The ninja (including Will) flipped theirs on as well. The spiders began to close in, and the others began to take stance. Zane walked up to me and put his hand on my shoulder. "Madison," he said with his calm voice while looking into my eyes. "be careful." I nodded. Spiders began to sprawl down from the ceiling! "Lightning!" shouted Brianna as she zapped a few. Jay has a look of admiration on his face. "Maddie look out!" called Zane. I turned around and a web was shot like a lasso around my waist. "Hey!" I wrapped my hands around the silk-like substance as ice began to crawl down towards the spider to freeze him. Nikki then jump kicked it and he shattered to pieces. "Thanks." I said. "So tell me again why we're fighting spiders?" asked Kai as he punched one in the face. "WILL STEPPED ON THEM!" shouted Alison as she threw a spider off her face. Will was in his shadow form to avoid affects from shots of web. "How was I supposed to know they'd come back as giant spiders and try to kill us all?!" More and more spiders kept coming and we kept fighting. "There's too many!" I said. "She's right! We have to get out of here!" said Cole. Jay zapped a spider away from Nikki. "But if we leave now they'll just come back to the apartment to finish us off!" said Brianna. "Well then, we'll just have to make it so they can't. Cole, throw me your scythe!" said Alison. He did as told. "I'm finishing this." she said. She surprise attacked the king spider and split him in half. Spider goo went EVERYWHERE. "Bleh!" I said. "ALISON." scolded Cole. "It's in my hair it's in my hair IT IS IN MY HAIR!" shouted Brianna as she ran around in a frenzy! "Brianna, calm down!" said Jay. The others and I looked to see stickily, spiny shadows heading towards us, followed by sounds of pitter pattering and small hissing. "They won't be too happy when they find out their king is gone." said Nikki. Zane grabbed my wrist, which surprised me, and said "Let's go!" "Cole, the wall!" said Kai as Cole smashed a hole in the wall with spinjitzu. We quickly ran outside where the Ultra Sonic Radar was waiting for us and went home as the spiders mourned with the loss of their leader.

CHAPTER 35- NIKKI'S P.O.V.

Brianna and Jay's conversation echoed in my head:

_Jay: Brianna, can you get out of the bathroom already? Other people have to clean off the goo too!_

_Brianna: YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, JAY. YOU DON'T HAVE HAIR._

_Jay: What the- yes I do! I have plenty of hair!_

Those two make me laugh. The day after the spider battle Kai and I took a walk in the outskirts of Ninjago City. People keep on flashing looks to our bright red uniforms. It's making me a little uncomfortable. "Kai, how come we don't have any normal clothes?" I asked. "What? You don't like your uniform?" "What? Of course I do!" "You know, those apprentices happen to be our old uniforms." "They were?" I looked down at myself, wondering how they made it fit like a glove. "Yeah," he said. "all we did was trim the sleeves and shrink 'em." I looked down at my hand-me-downs. "It's still a little weird…" I said with a nervous smile. He held my hand as we kept walking. "Think of it this way, it's like I'm always hugging you." He smiled. I gave him a peck on the cheek for being silly and he blushed. "Hey, what's that?" he said out of the blue as he pointed to a military base in the distance. My dad's military base. The guy who STILL doesn't know I'm a ninja. Kai motioned towards the building. "Um… maybe we shouldn't." I said. "Come on, Nikki! It wouldn't hurt to just check it out! Maybe we could even show those soldiers a thing or two." He winked. He tried pulling my hand but I eventually seeped down to the ground. He sighed. "I don't see what the problem is." He said as he picked me up and carried me towards the base. "NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. N-" "Nikki, calm down!" We entered the base and my presence was immediately recognized. "NICOLE JEAN ASHES." "Oh no…" I said under my breath. A man in his mid-50s dressed in an olive green uniform with smoky gray hair and mustache stormed over to Kai and me. My dad. "Get your hands off my daughter!" "Your WHAT?!" said Kai. Just as my father was about to punch Kai I leaped out of his arms and caught his fist in my palm. "Dad, please!" "Who is he?!" "Well if you just lis-" "Where have you been?!" "I'm sorry, I jus-" "Spit it out already!" "LET ME TALK!" I yelled at him, and it seemed as if the whole world became silent, just to hear what I have to say. "Dad, this is Kai." I said as he glared at my master. "He and three other masters are training four apprentices to become a ninja. I'm one of the apprentices." It is still really quiet. When suddenly, my father doubled over in laughter. "You can't be serious!" he said. A frown spread across my face. "What are you wearing?! Is that your 'NINJA SUIT'?! AHAHAHAHAHA!" Kai sees I'm sad, so he decided to hug me. My dad's laughter switched to anger. He aggressively grabbed hold of my wrist and yanked me away from Kai. "Dad, what are you-" "Enough! You're done with all this nonsense about ninja!" he argued. "But Dad!" "Mr. Ashes, please!" begged Kai. "That's _General_ Ashes to you!" he said as he began to pull me towards our home in the base. "Dad, STOP!" _**BOOM!**_ Just then, a clamor rang from the tank area which caused us to freeze with terror. A rogue tank drove around the corner at the wheel is two bonehead soldiers from the Skulkin army. "Congratulations!" said one as the other bonked him on the head. "Ow!" "SHUT UP." My father let go of me. "Congratulations? For what?" he questioned. Your whole army gets to be brought to the underworld!" the soldier said with a stupid smile. "WHAT?!" All three of us said in unison. "Yep! Notice anything different?" said a Skulkin. I took a look around to see… well, no one. No soldiers training, no one yelling orders, just plain no one. "Where are they!" I yelled. The Skulkin pointed to a section in the back of the tank where all the soldiers must be being kept. "We're almost done!" They said. "All we're missing is the general!" No… "Hope you don't mind, but we kind of 'improved' this here tank!" said the enemy as a giant claw sprouted out of the back hatch and aimed at my father. "Dad!" I yelled. He just stood there, motionless. "Nikki, no!" shouted Kai as I pushed my dad out of the way, securing myself within the grasp of the claw. "Nicole!" said my dad. A look of worry and distress filled his face that I have never seen on him before. I struggled and let out several growls as the retarded Skulkin laughed at my attempts. I looked down to my father and my boyfriend. I confess that they are the only two people I have ever loved. It's strange that all this is coming to mind now… I have fought pirates, assassins, and spiders. These boneheads are nothing, NOTHING! I will NOT let them-… What's happening to me…? "Woo, did it just get hotter in here?" said one bonehead. They started to pant. "She's glowing…" said Kai. What is he talking about? "I am confused. What exactly is happening?" asked my eyes. I opened my eyes, which are now glowing a bright, vivid blue. The mechanical claw I was once being held by is now melted. I fell to the ground and landed on my feet. My dad wanted to help me but Kai held him back. I put my hands in a position in which a fireball formed in between them. "Uh-oh." The boneheads attempted to free themselves from the tank but I threw my concentrated fireball at them and they combusted to bone dust. I stopped glowing and Kai released my father who ran up and hugged me for the first time in a while. "You see, um , sir, she was able to save us because of my training. If you'll let me, I would love to keep on doing so." said Kai. "Dad, I went to become a ninja to become stronger for you." I said. "I'm very proud of you, Nicole. And son," My father stood up and put a hand on Kai's shoulder. "keep doing what you're doing."

CHAPTER 36- COLE'S P.O.V.

"So Nikki unlocked her true potential? Good for her." I told Kai. "Yeah, I'm proud of her." He smiled at Nikki and held her hand. "Hey, where's Alison? Aren't you guys supposed to start training soon?" asked Nikki. "She's late, like always." I said. "See you later!" said Kai as he and Nikki left through the dojo door. I glanced at their holding hands as they left and I shook my head. "Jealous?" I turned around to see Will. "Huh?" "I said, 'Jealous?'." "What? No, I don't like Nicole!" He rolled his eyes. "You know that's not what I'm talking about." Will said. I can hear Alison coming in through the front entrance. "I'm here! I'm here!" she called. "You'll see." He said. "Whatever. I have to train now, so leave." Will turned into a shadow and left. I think I'll keep an eye on him… Alison jogged through the door. "Sorry I'm late, I was nap-MEDITATING. I WAS MEDITATING." "Whatever." I said. "Hey can we work with my earthy powers?" "No." "What?" "If you use your element in here you'll bring the roof down!" I explained. "Oh but Nikki's allowed to use fire in the dojo?" she asked. "Yes but Kai's not your master, I am." She groaned. "Just start with your warm-ups." I said. She lazily went over to a cloth sand bag and began striking it. I watched closely as her fist made contact with the bag, and bits of sediment escaped. My eyes moved from her fists up to her face. Her eyes showed focus and no signs of her sad case of a past… "Hey are you done daydreaming, dancey boy?" "Wanna fight, blondie?" "Yeah, a little bit!" she smirked as she picked up a scythe. "Come on! Let's go a few rounds!" she said. I put my hand over my blushing face. "I don't have time for this!" "What do you mean? You're supposed to be training me!" "I have to go!" I stormed out of the room leaving Alison confused. I rushed pass Will with my hand on my head and searched for solitude in the hall closet. I closed the door and sank down to the ground. "Cole? Cooooooole?" I watched as Alison walked past the closet, unaware I was inside. …What just happened?

CHAPTER 37- NO P.O.V.

It is 5pm as Alison and Cole are in the kitchen preparing dinner, and the others are waiting impatiently at the table. Will is absent. "Hey, where's Will?" asks Maddie. "I am not sure." Said Zane. "Perhaps he is the kitchen." Clattering of pots and pans are heard. "I hope their cooking is at least," Kai gulped. "edible." "Come on, guys! How bad could it be? Sure Cole's food has a nasty after-taste, and yes, Alison has never cooked anything in her life-" "Just stop talking, Brianna." Said Nikki cutting Brianna off. A small yelp was heard, and the clattering stopped. "Um… Maybe I'll go check on them." Jay stood up and pushed in his chair as it made skid noises against the floor. He walked into the kitchen and the door swung close. Everyone jumped as they heard Jay shout, "WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?!" Jay pushed a blushing Cole and Alison out of the kitchen as they headed to separate seats at the table with their heads down. "Zane, can you please help me finish cooking dinner?" said Jay. Zane glanced to Cole and then to Alison. He then quickly joined Jay in the kitchen. "Umm… Alison?" asked Nikki. The girl said nothing. "Cole?" said Kai. The master just stared at the wooden table, as if studying every detail. Throughout dinner, everyone was creating various situations in their heads to what just occurred only a few moments ago.

CHAPTER 38- BRIANNA'S P.O.V.

After a silent dinner, the others left as Jay stayed behind to scold Cole and Alison for only he knows what. I still have no clue what happened in there! I hate not knowing things! I'm pacing in the hallway outside the dining room where we just ate. "WAHHH!" Will fell from the ceiling in front of me as he changed out of his shadow form. "Will? How come you weren't at dinner?" I asked him. "Oh, I'm perfectly fine after falling from the ceiling, thanks for caring." He said sarcastically as he stood up and wiped dirt off of himself. I face palmed. "Just tell me where you were." "I was in the kitchen." He said. I shook him by the shirt collar. "TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!" I shouted and he jumped a bit. He broke free. "Brianna, Alison and Cole kissed!" he said. They WHAT?! I didn't even know they liked each other! Well actually, now that think about it, it's kind of obvious. With the way Alison looks at Cole, and how Cole hugs Alison a lot. But still! "What?! How?!" I said. "I made them." He said with confidence. I stared at him. "How do you make someone… kiss someone else?" I asked. "It's simple, really." He walked around a bit. "I was in my shadow form so they couldn't see me. As usual, they were failing at cooking and were making clattering noises with pots and pans as they attempted to. When Cole turned the stove on, I slightly pushed Alison's hand into the fire. She yelped when she got burned, and as she spazzed, Cole grabbed the sides of her arms to calm her down. Then all I had to do was push their heads into each other. I didn't expect Jay to walk in there, though; sucks for them." He explained. Jeez, and they say I talk a lot? "You do realize they're gonna kill you when they find out what you did." "I don't think they will." "And why is that?" "Because," he took a dramatic pause. "I only made them kiss for a second. They kept kissing after I left." I didn't say anything. I need to go tell Jay so- "Don't tell anyone, though." He said as he walked up to me. "I don't think it's a smart idea." Is that a threat? I can tell by the way he's looking at me that he wishes he didn't say anything. It's like a glare. I stepped around the shadow ninja and left the dojo.

CHAPTER 39- ?'S P.O.V.

My twisted plan seems to be working. They're falling in love, how CUTE. It sickens me. At this point the ninja should be so distracted that I should be able to take over Ninjago no problem. The blue girl burst through the door. "Guys, I-! Oh. Sorry Sensei, I thought the others were in here." And with that she left. I smirked. Stupid ninja.

CHAPTER 40- ALISON'S P.O.V.

I sat alone in a chair, Jay's harsh words racing through my mind. 'What were you thinking' 'You can't date'. Does he even know Nikki and Kai are dating? Brianna ran through the door. "Hey Alison! What's wr-... Never mind. Hey! I know what'll cheer you up!" I'll do anything to get my mind off of Cole. "We could play this game called 'Assassin'! I'll explain the rules once we gather everyone. This game really puts our ninja skills to the test!" An hour or half later, night had fallen and everyone was gathered in the dojo's training room. "Why'd you call us here, Brianna?" asked Jay. "Simple, my fair master. We're playing a little game called: ASSASSIN!" We all looked at her. "It's a game I used to play with my sisters when the weather wasn't right for the forest. You-" "You have sisters?" "Nikki please, no interruptions. This game is like extreme hide-n-seek. Your goal is to find another player and jab them in the stomach with your hand, in which you 'assassinate' them. This game is played with all the lights off. Usually there are no alliances, but let's have it be Masters vs. Apprentices." Brianna explained. "But what about Will! If he's with the masters then the teams are uneven!" said Maddie. "I know! Nya could be on your team!" said Jay. "Did somebody say my name?" Nya smiled and walked through the door. Brianna crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "We gonna play or what?" asked Kai with his usual smirk. "Alright then. Masters vs. Apprentices! BEGIN!" Brianna fled to the light switch and flicked it off as the teams ran their separate ways; where should I hide? Brianna ran into a closet, Maddie hid behind a punching bag, and Nikki ran somewhere into the kitchen. I looked up and saw pipes on the ceiling. That'll work! I climbed up a punching bag to reach the ceiling and wrapped my arms and legs around the cold metal pipe. I have to be careful. These are masters of stealthiness. We can't just attack them like th- "AH!" Zane yelled. "I'm so sorry!" worried Maddie. She must've gotten Zane out of the game. I drooped my head down and my hair draped past my shoulders. I can see a silhouette motioning in the dark towards Maddie. I quickly jumped down from the ceiling and jammed my fingers into the ninja's stomach! "AH!" Kai screamed as he fell to the ground. "Good job." I high-fived Maddie. As I heard footsteps passing in the hallway, I signaled for Maddie to return to her hiding place while I climbed back to my spot on the ceiling. Someone then entered the room and looked around for somewhere to hide themself. They opened the closet and Brianna striked them in the stomach! A girl's shriek pierced my eardrums as the victim fell to the floor. "Brianna, I think you just hit Nya…" said Maddie. "Oops, sorry." Brianna said with a sly smile. A growl escaped from Nya. "AHH!" Nikki's scream rang from the kitchen. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU, WILL!" she shouted. Seems like the teams are even now. Brianna closed her closet door while Maddie and I headed out of the room we were hiding in. She went the other way as I headed into a room. The door slammed behind me as I was grabbed from behind and cold hands were jammed into my stomach. I fell to my knees then onto the floor as I let out a shriek so the others would know their team is down by one. I turned onto my back and looked up at Cole. "Sorry, Blondey." He winked and ran out of the room. "AH!" He yelled. "Dang it, Maddie!" "Sorry!" she said. Wow, she is really good at this game. "Hahaha!" I laughed at him. "Shut up!" he said. "JAY!" "Maddie, into the closet!" I told her. She ran into the closet and shut the door. Jay ran to Cole with Will beside him. "Where'd they go?" asked Will. "In the closet!" "Hey! You're not allowed to help them!" I scolded Cole. Taking Cole's advice, Jay swung open the closet door only for Will and him to be surprise attacked by Brianna and Maddie! The guys cringed and fell to the floor as Brianna and Maddie bounced with joy. "We won! We won! We won!" They rejoiced.

Once the game was over we gathered into the training room with the lights on at 9 o'clock. "THE APPRENTICES HAVE BECOME THE MASTERS!" Nikki shouted. "Calm down! All you guys did was win a stupid game!" said Jay while rubbing his stomach. "A stupid game that you LOST." said Brianna with the same sly smile. "Oh! Oh! How about since they lost… They have to clean the apartment!" said Maddie. "What?! No!" said Kai. "Come on, Sweety. Don't be a sore loser." Nikki said with a smile as she pinched Kai's cheeks. "You lost, it's only fair." I said.

CHAPTER 41- BRIANNA'S P.O.V.

After a good night's rest and busy afternoon, our masters have finished cleaning the apartment. Kai wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Ya know, for people with only two uniforms each, you have A LOT of clothes!" He said. Nikki giggled at him and ruffled his spiky hair. Now that they are done cleaning, Jay seems to be (attempting at) flirting with Nya. She giggled her retarded laugh. "Hey Jay?" I asked. Nya glared at me. "Oh! Hey Brianna!" Jay said with his boyish smile. "Mind if I talk to you?" I asked. "Sure! Go ahead!" He leaned against the wall with his arm around Nya. "Umm... Alone?" "Oh! Um, sure." We walked into the hallway and I swear I heard Nya growl. "What's up?" He asked. "How come I'm the only the only one who hasn't unlocked their true potential yet? I-Is there something wrong with me?" I said nervously. He quickly put his hand on my shoulder. "No! No! Of course not! Listen. Everyone unlocks their true potential by finding out what's holding them back and getting past it." He said while looking into my eyes. I never noticed how blue they are. He started talking again. "For Zane, it was his unknown past. For Nikki, it was her father. For me, it was Nya..." He smiled and looked into space as he drifted off into a day dream. "Umm... Jay?" He snapped out of his dreams. "Oh, sorry. Anyways, don't be worried. You'll unlock it soon!" "Ok..." He went back to Nya. Does he realize how long he talks for?! Jeez, I'm glad I'm not like that! Now what is holding me back...?

CHAPTER 42- MADDIE'S P.O.V.

Where is Zane? I've wanted to ask him more about my true potential. I'm looking in the dojo for him. I think I see a silhouette in one of the rooms. Maybe that's him? I open the door to see the back of Sensei who in front of him seems to be playing with something on his wrist. "Darn device..." He mumbled. Suddenly, for an instant, he had no hat, black skin, and black spiky hair. He turned around and his deep red eyes showed me who he was. "G-GARMADON!" I ran away from the doorway where I once stood and heard him holler: "Get back here at once, you pesky delinquent!" "You're not my Sens- OOF!" I ran into Dareth and fell on the wood floor. "Hey! Watch where you're going, apprentice!" I quickly went past him and into the training room where I found Zane. "Z-Zane!" I non-hesitantly hid behind him. "What is wrong?!" He said as pseudo Sensei entered the room. He must have gotten his disguise back on. "That's Garmadon!" I shouted. Zane looked to Sensei then back to me. "Maddie, that is Sensei Wu." "No! It's Garmadon!" "Please forgive me," said fake Sensei. "I was calling for young Madison because she had dropped this." He held out my shuriken. How did he get that?! "Oh, and you call everyone a 'pesky delinquent'?!" I said. Zane took the shuriken and handed it to me. "Perhaps you need some rest. Remember to when you discovered I was a nindroid. You do tend to frighten easily." "B-But Zane!" "Madison, that is not Garmadon." I looked back to 'Sensei' but he was no longer in the room. "I know what I saw..." I looked down at the floor and he gently pushed my head up. "Perhaps some training will clear your mind." He said with a smile. Training doesn't fix everything...

CHAPTER 43- KAI'S P.O.V.

"Did we really have to clean the _whole_ apartment?" "Haha, yes!" Nikki laughed. She and I decided to spend some quality time at the park. She leaned her head on my shoulder as we looked up at the sky and relaxed. "Oh thank god, I found someone!" Nikki and I turned around on the park bench to see Sensei. But… Something was different about him. His hat was torn quite a bit, he seemed thinner, and like he hasn't bathed in a while. "Sensei, are you ok?" asked Nikki. "Who are you?" he asked. "Umm… Nikki." She said. "Why are you wearing Kai's uniform?" "I'm his apprentice… You recruited me!" What's going on? "Oh no… Kai, how is Lloyd's training coming along?" "We haven't been training him that often because you told us to train the apprentices." I said. "No, no this couldn't have been his plan…" Our once calm Sensei seemed to have grown a bit panicky. "Sensei, what is going on?" I asked. "I did not give you your apprentice." "What? How-""Garmadon did." The whole world seemed to have stopped. "He told me he was going to put a stop to my nephew's training… I hadn't realized he'd be bringing an innocent civilian into this." "What happened?" I said in a harsh tone. Nikki seemed to be lost in thought. "Do you recall that dinner we attended a few months ago after Dareth had allowed us access to his dojo?" "Yes." "When I stepped outside… That was when Garmadon ambushed me with the help of Serpentine. He then used a wrist device he must have created with the Mega Weapon to create a disguise to impersonate me. "You mean… Nicole's not supposed to be here?" "I'm afraid not…" She gasped. "I'm just… Part of a plan?! I'm being used?!" "Nikki, I need you to get a hold of yourself!" I grabbed the sides of her arms. "We need to go tell the others." "But they'll be devastated!" "I know. Maybe you're all not supposed to be here but I sure am glad that you are." I gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Wait, there is more than one apprentice?!" asked Sensei. A loud crash traveled through the air, and Jay flew out of our broken apartment window and onto the grass 5 meters in front of us. "H-Hey guys!" He said with a weak smile as his head rested on the ground.

CHAPTER 44- BRIANNA'S P.O.V.

Ok, let me sum up what just happened, REALLY FAST for you. Sensei came into the apartment while Jay and I were talking and he had this really creepy smile on his face. Then he used this strange device on his wrist in which he changed into Garmadon. Then Jay said "Sensei?!" and Garmadon said "I'm not Sensei Wu, you fool!" As Jay was taking out his nunchucks and flipping his hood, he took too long and Garmadon kicked him as he practically was launched out the window. So right now I'm alone in a room with the most evil person known to man. Yeah. Not the best position to be in. With every step he took towards me I took a step back. I hid my clenched fist behind my back as I charged a bolt of electricity within it. I need some time. "What are you doing here?" "I've always been here." "That's a lie. The real Sensei brought us here to be the ninja's- " "I brought you here." "But why?!" "All to distract my son's training so he'll never become the green ninja!" "You're sick!" I zapped the lightning bolt in my hand at him and he fell to the floor, stunned. "Don't start something you can't finish!" he said. Garmadon quickly summoned a shadow-like sphere and threw it at me. It hit me in the stomach as I flew out the window! I closed my eyes and shrieked. Suddenly, I was caught and it felt as if I was now flying sideways instead of down. I opened my eyes to see a girl in a samurai mask. "Nya?!" She seemed like she hated what she just did. She brought me down to the ground where Jay had landed and Nikki and Kai were making sure he was alright. "Who did this?!" said a man who looked like Sensei. "Who are you?" I said. "He's the real Sensei." Kai said. "Jay should be awake soon. Brianna, Nya, go round up the others and tell them what happened. Bring them here." I believe they're all in the dojo. "Wait, Nya." Sensei said. "Go back to the apartment and get the Destiny's Bounty. Make sure you are not caught by Lord Garmadon." "Aye-aye, Sensei!" she said as she ran off towards there. I wonder what they need that for. I quickly ran towards the dojo. There is no time to waste.

CHAPTER 45- WILL'S P.O.V.

I headed up the creaky stairs of the old apartment once more. The usually closed door was now wide open. I peeked inside and the character facing towards the window turned around with a creepy smile spread across his face. "F-Father?!" I took a few steps back in fright. "Calm down, son. I came here looking for you." "But you hate me…" "I never hated you. My mind was simply… Overshadowed by darkness. I can only see the light now." "Dad. You have 4 arms." "Please, William, join me in showing the world my light." He held out one of his four hands. I stared at it. Should I trust him? He is my father… But he always seemed so evil. "… Fine." I hesitantly agreed. Though my father has (maybe) changed, I don't think the others will be too happy about this…

CHAPTER 46- ZANE'S P.O.V.

Maddie and I were currently engaging in a conversation with Alison and Cole when suddenly Brianna came rushing into the room. "Guys! We need to get to the park! Now!" "Calm down, Brianna. You can wait to go on the swings." Said Alison. "No, you fool!" Brianna eventually explained what had happened. She informed us that we had been deceived by Lord Garmadon into believing he was Sensei Wu. "But why would he get the apprentices?" Asked Cole. "The whole thing was a plot so Lloyd would get distracted from his training." "Where are the others?" Maddie added. "They're at the park while Nya's getting the Bounty. I don't know where Will or Garmadon are." "Why would Nya need the Bounty?" Asked Cole. "I don't know, but we need to go!" We followed Brianna out to the park.

CHAPTER 47- NO P.O.V.

Garmadon's evil laughter echoed through the air as he and Will appeared in front of them. "Will?! Get away from him!" said Nikki. "He's on my side now!" laughed Garmadon. Will looked to the ground, ashamed. Nya landed the bounty behind us. "You four. I want you to get on the Bounty, and return to your homes." Said Sensei. "What?!" Brianna said. "We're going to fight, old man!" Nikki argued

Kai grabbed her arm and pulled her away. "Can you believe him?" "Nikki, he's right. You have to go." "What?! You too?!" "Listen. If we don't train Lloyd, all of Ninjago could be in danger." She tilted her head down in sadness. He brought her chin up with his hand. "Hey, cheer up. This isn't goodbye. But until then," he placed a kiss on her lips. "don't forget me." He smirked. **"Never."** She said with a smile.

"Brianna, it's been fun, and an honor to train you." Jay held out his hand. **"Oh, come here, you!" **She pulled him in and hugged him. "Um, Brianna. BRIANNA. Too tight!"

"Umm… Bye Zane…" Maddie scratched the back of her head. "You seem sad. Are you alright?" "**Not really… I-I'll miss you guys…**" A single tear tried to escape her eye. "Remember Maddie, you'll always be a ninja. Right here," He bent down and poked her head. "and here." He poked her heart. She hugged him, and he blushed. This was weird for him, because he's never blushed before.

"So… Heh." Alison and Cole stood awkwardly in front of eachother. "Where'll you go?" "I don't know. I'll probably stay with one of the others." "Hey, close your eyes. I have a goodbye present." "Um, ok." She closed her eyes. He nervously shuffled his feet as he saw the other apprentices get on board the flying ship. He quickly laid a kiss on her cheek and she opened her eyes, blushing. **"What-wh-wh-" **"I promise I'll see you again. Now hurry, or you'll miss your flight."

She ran on board the Bounty. As it flew off, ninja prepared to battle Garmadon for what wouldn't be the last time. ***


End file.
